Written by John S. Adams
Tribune Capital Bureau
HELENA — The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission on Thursday approved tentative rules to the pending wolf trapping season aimed at limiting the unintended trapping of non-target species, such as the threatened lynx, and domestic pets such as dogs.
Wildlife Bureau Chief Ken McDonald told the commission that trappers who have participated in mandatory, department-run wolf trapping classes have been instructed to set the tension on trap pans at 8 to 10 pounds.
Trap pan tension is the amount of weight it takes to fire a trap, McDonald said.
“The proposed rules mandate a trap pan tension setting. Wolves happen to be larger than most fur bearers, and a higher trap pan tension setting increases the amount of weight it takes to trip the pan on a trap and set it off,” McDonald said.
Two opponents of wolf trapping addressed the commission and pleaded with commissioners to require more stringent trapping requirements to further prevent injury or death to domestic animals and wildlife.
Kim Bean of Helena said the proposed 8-pound trap pan tension setting is inadequate to prevent trapping of non-targeted species. Bean said she often travels in the backcountry with her mules and her 70-pound dog, any of which could easily set off a wolf trap. Bean argued that lynx, which are listed as threatened in Montana under the Endangered Species Act, could also set off a wolf trap set to 8 pounds if they were to step on the trap pan with both feet or lingered in trap set.
“Trapping is dangerous to those of us who utilize this land,” Bean said. “I’m not feeling very safe doing what I love to do best. Make no mistake, this is not keeping me out of the backcountry, but I’m not going to believe this is the best idea you have in preventing non-target deaths and injury.”
Bean said as more inexperienced trappers take to backcountry in hopes of trapping a wolf, more conflicts will occur.
Bean, along with Stevensville wolf advocate Marc Cooke, asked the commission to implement stricter rules that would require higher trap pan tension setting and require wolf trappers to have their traps inspected by FWP officials at the regional headquarters.
Cooke said without more stringent enforcement mechanisms, the proposed 8-pound trap pan rule was a “paper lion and unenforceable.”
“I strongly urge the commission to require a trap pan setting of at least 10 pounds or more and that all traps be tested at regional headquarters,” Cooke said. “One lynx or one family pet is too many to be trapped.”
FWP Commissioner Ron Moody of Lewistown said department staff did a good job of coming up with a good starting point for the wolf harvest, and the department and commission can react to issues as they arise.
“I think it needs to be said we have reached a point in this wolf harvest regulation saga where we’re going to have to put the regulations on the ground and ground-truth them based on experience, not on predictions of what might be done,” Moody said.
The proposed rule will be subject to a 30-day public comment period.
The commission also on Thursday approved tentative changes to the Smith River State Park and Corridor biennial rule.
The biennial rule establishes fees, permit requirements and associated rules for private, commercial and landowner float trips on the Smith River from Camp Baker to Eden Bridge. The Smith River rule also enables the department to implement the management direction provided in the Smith River State Park and River Corridor Recreation Management Plan, which was last updated in 2009.
This year’s proposed changes are mainly grammatical, parks division administrator Chas Van Genderen said.
“There were a number of small edits, just wordsmithing in large measure,” Van Genderen said.
Highlights of the changes include the addition of a new section that specifies the rules for the Super Permit Lottery, a variety of grammatical edits to improve consistency and understanding, and a reference to new authorized outfitter Erik Hess of Missoula Fishing Company, who bought out outfitter High Plains Drifter in 2012.
The department will conduct a 30-day comment period and invite the public to provide input on the proposed biennial rule, which would be in effect for two calendar years following adoption.